Top Floor – Details, episodes & analysis

In this second batch of HITEC interviews, Susan invites a new group of hotel tech leaders into the Top Floor recording booth to deliver their best Elevator Pitches—and a few unforgettable stories. From AI-powered concierges to spa booking solutions and a piano-playing manager who couldn’t play piano, this episode blends industry insight with plenty of personality. Plus, you’ll find out exactly how a monkey became part of a hotel’s guest communication demo.

Featured guests:

James Hansen, Vice President of Business Development, REECO

Eric Lutz, Co-Founder & CEO, OLIVE

Shawn Tarter, President, RealTime Reservation

Mark Cederloff, CEO, VSR Network Technologies

Mike Medsker, Founder, SIV

Jen Barnwell, President, Curator Hotel & Resort Collection

Tess McGoldrick, Senior Vice President, Travel & Hospitality, Revenue Analytics

Tanya Pratt, Global Vice President, Oracle Hospitality

Stephen Chen, CEO, Phunware

In this special HITEC edition of Top Floor, we’re riding the elevator with hospitality tech leaders who know how to make a pitch. From PMS platforms to AI concierges, we cover real-world tools and real-life chaos, including fainting coworkers, bat encounters, and nightclub drama. Whether you're here for the insights or the insanity, this episode delivers both!

Featured in Part One:

David Fox with Quore

Mark Lewis-Brown with Zucchetti North America

Estella Hale with Zucchetti North America

Christian Arias with Hapi

Doug Ralston with True Omni

Ethan Wiseman with Sabre

Sandrine Zechbauer with RMS

Renee Rubens is the founder of Symphony of Leaves, a luxury tea company rooted in ethical sourcing and sensory sophistication. After decades in global media sales, she followed her passion for tea into a new venture that blends her business savvy with botanical elegance. In this episode, she dishes on premium pu-erh, purposeful partnerships, and proper preparation.

What you'll learn about:

✨ Why tea bags are basically dust in a disguise (and what to sip instead)
🍵 How a Brit’s sass and a global pandemic led to a tea empire
🏨 Why hotels and spas are the new hot spot for high-end tea
🌿 What makes real tea real—and why chamomile doesn’t count
💧 The water temperature trick that’ll totally change your cup
📱 A henna mishap + no cell signal = Renee’s wildest travel story

Michael Blank is a hospitality veteran who’s worked every angle of the hotel biz—from slinging room keys at the Willard in D.C. to steering multimillion-dollar acquisitions. Now the Principal of Woodmont Lodging, he owns and asset-manages properties across the U.S., with a soft spot for extended stay. Susan and Michael talk about counterintuitive takes on the hotel industry. 

What You’ll Learn About:

🚮 Pick Up Club! Why picking up hallway trash speaks volumes

🏩 The extended stay segment decoded: housing shortage, high margins, and why the hype is justified

🪄 Why AI is not the magic wand everyone thinks it is

📏 Why RevPAR might be obsolete, and why smart hoteliers should be thinking in square feet, not just room nights

🪙 One big change hotels should make: owning their guest data like it’s gold

Mike Mumford is the General Manager of Brand g Vacations, a leading luxury travel company serving the LGBTQ+ community. After a long career in corporate finance and tech, Mike traded spreadsheets for sunsets, turning his passion for travel into a full-time gig. Susan and Mike talk about career pivots, curated group experiences, and the power of packing light.

🌏 Why cotton candy, corn on the cob, and a theme park mentor helped spark Mike’s global travel bug

🌏 How a post-pandemic sabbatical turned into a bold leap out of corporate life and into the world of luxury LGBTQ+ travel

🌏 The unexpected freedom of planned tours—and how they actually do leave room for spontaneity

🌏 What it really means to be GM of a travel company (hint: he's already working on 2027)

🌏 A sushi-making snafu in Japan that proves sometimes you just have to improvise—and charm your way through it

Episode Summary:

Steve Fortunato never planned to make hospitality his life’s work—until he realized it was embedded in his DNA. After starting roomforty, an innovative catering company designed to deliver restaurant-quality experiences anywhere, he went on to open Fig House, a sought-after event venue. Steve's book, The Urgent Recovery of Hospitality [please bold and italicize the title], looks at relationships through the lens of hospitality and explores how generosity can restore civility. Susan and Steve talk about why modern service culture has become transactional, how to break free from the "customer is always wrong" trend, and why a little squash milk can go a long way.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

🍽️ Why catering gets a bad rap – and how Steve set out to change that.
🚀 How Steve transformed his business by embracing venues.
🤝 Why true service is about relationships, not transactions.
🔥 When restaurant culture gets in its own way.
🎭 How trying to impress customers can actually backfire.
🌱 Why giving value first creates better experiences for everyone.

If you are seeking a more hospitable world, this episode and Steve's book are for you!

Lan Elliott’s career spans the highest levels of hotel real estate, from acquisitions at Starwood to asset management at IHG. Now, as the co-founder of Acacia Holdings, a champion for women in hospitality through Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance, and a podcast host on It's Personal Stories, she’s on a mission to create more opportunities in leadership and investment. Susan and Lan talk about career pivots, negotiation power moves, and the myth that there aren’t enough women speakers in hospitality.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🚀 How to land a speaking gig at a conference – and why writing articles might be the secret.
🎤 The truth about “not enough women speakers” – Lan shares how a 700-person speaker directory turned into 1,400+ in just months.
💼 Hotel real estate vs. operations – why Lan pivoted from GM dreams to investment deals.
🏨 Traditional luxury vs. lifestyle hotels – what Ferraris and Rolls Royces teach us about branding.
📚 The power of lifelong learning – why the top leaders she’s interviewed all have one thing in common: curiosity.
💰 Negotiation 101: The unspoken signals you should be listening for.
🔮 A bold prediction for the future of hotel investment – and why the numbers aren’t looking good for women in leadership (yet).

If you want to break into hotel real estate, negotiate like a pro, or finally get that conference speaking gig, then you need to hear Lan Elliott’s insights and stories!

Sloan Dean climbed the hospitality ranks from revenue management to the CEO of Remington Hospitality in 2020, steering the company through a global crisis while leading massive expansion. With a background in engineering and finance, he brings a strategic yet people-first approach to hotel management, emphasizing leadership, innovation, and the importance of knowing "a little about a lot." Susan and Sloan talk about prioritization, transformation, and why Gen Z isn't lazy.

Episode Highlights:

🛁 The CEO’s Real Job? It’s not what you think—Sloan reveals the #1 skill that makes or breaks leadership.

🛁 Ditch the Multitasking Myth—Why great leaders don’t juggle everything, they prioritize like pros.

🛁 From Revenue Management to the Corner Office—Sloan’s unexpected career path (and how 46 job interviews shaped his strategy).

🛁 What Gen Z Wants (And Why It Matters to Hotels)—How the next generation’s spending habits will transform travel.

🛁 AI in Hospitality: Hype or Game-Changer? Sloan’s take on what will get automated first (spoiler: it’s not housekeeping).

🛁 The Hardest Leadership Lesson—Why waiting too long to make personnel changes is a mistake every CEO regrets.

🛁 Flooded Hotel Rooms & Bathtub Mishaps—Sloan shares a behind-the-scenes disaster only fit for the Loading Dock.

Born in Korea and adopted by Japanese American parents in Seattle, Shari Leid knows what it means to search for belonging. A former litigator who reinvented herself as a life coach and author, she set out on a life-changing journey to all 50 states, meeting 50 women along the way. Susan and Shari talk about fostering friendships, flipping perspectives, and fueling fearless connection.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✈️ The unexpected way Shari’s solo journey across America reshaped her view of belonging
✈️ Why she believes human connection will thrive despite AI and virtual work
✈️ The three types of organizations you must join if you want to build a strong community
✈️ How her experience growing up as an adoptee shaped her lifelong search for belonging
✈️ The powerful movement she launched, Flip the Box, and how you can join
✈️ Why she wishes hotels would stop announcing room numbers at check-in
✈️ The moment a white supremacy rally tested her commitment to open-hearted travel

Listen now to be inspired by Shari’s incredible adventure and her mission to bring people together!

With 20 years in hospitality, Tommy Beyer has done it all—from parking cars to managing multimillion-dollar assets. After 16 years with Newport Hospitality, he co-founded a private REIT and launched B Hospitality Advisors, where he helps hotel owners maximize their investments. From finance to future trends to finding hidden revenue, Tommy knows how to make hotels work smarter, not harder. Susan and Tommy talk about why the brand explosion might be making things worse and how small revenue tweaks can mean big bucks.

What You'll Learn About:

💰 Revenue vs. Cost-Cutting: Tommy settles the age-old debate—what’s more important for a successful hotel?

🚗 Lessons from Valet Parking: How running to retrieve cars shaped Tommy’s view on service, hustle, and career growth.

🎰 Vegas Dreams (and Why He Ditched Them): Tommy shares why he turned down a job at a premier Las Vegas resort—and why it turned out to be the best decision ever.

🏨 REITs 101: The difference between private and public real estate investment trusts—and why one could be a game-changer for investors.

💵 Revenue Hacks That Work: The ridiculously simple way Tommy helped a beachfront hotel generate $800K without lifting a finger.

📈 Expense Creep Crisis: Why hotel costs are outpacing revenue and what owners can do about it.

If you want to learn how a simple tweak could add hundreds of thousands to your hotel's bottom line, hit play!